With a travel rating of 44%, Bahrain is generally renowned for being one of the most liberal of all of the Middle Eastern countries, so much so that it is even tolerant toward the practice of other, non-Muslim faiths. Perhaps some of this laidback attitude is because they've simply got it good here with massive oil reserves and one of the world's biggest pearl industries to boot. So, with all this it's not hard to understand why it has become a very popular destination for PlanetHoppers! over the past several years. Some of its highlights include the Tree of Life, which is said to mark the location of the fabled Garden of Eden, and the King Fahd Causeway, which spans more than 20 km (~ 12.4 miles) across the Gulf of Bahrain to connect with Saudi Arabia and is a modern engineering wonder of the world. But no trip to Bahrain can overlook the fact that as a composite of more than 30 islands, the beaches here are simply spectacular. If you're looking for "out of the norm" Middle East destination, then Bahrain is it.

Commune with the "old guard" when you make you way to Bahrain's Tree of Life, one of the oldest trees of its kind in the world. At over 400 years of age, locals claim that the tree's longevity is due to its location on the mythi....